Refrigerating apparatus



OCL 10, 1950 L. B. FRENCH Er AL 2,525,172

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 11, 1948 7i "j 1 E 4,

IN V EN TOR.

7/ 7j ZZ F153. E

Patented Oct. 10, 1950 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Leon B. French, Springield, and John F. Sweeney, Chicopee, Mass.Y

Application Maren 11, 194s, serial No. 14,248 A Our invention relates to improvements in refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to devices of that type which'are especially adapted for use in cooling bottled beverages or thelike. It is an object of our invention to provide abottled beverage refrigerating cabinet as well as Y an ice makingcabinet' It is another object to provide a device which will quickly cool beverages in such quantities as are ordinarily required by aV retail dealer or restaurant owner or the like and in which the bottlesare easily placed so that they are readily accessible when it is desired to withdraw the same and which will also make ice in the usual manner for such of the usual needs and requirements as the vendor may have.

Our invention: further contemplates the construction of a cooling means which is simple and compact in form, neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive in manufactureand otherwise well adapted' for the purposes'forv which thelsame is intended.

With Athe 'foregoing and Various other novel features and advantages and other objects of our invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention" consists in certain novel ,features of construction and in the combinationV and 'arrangement 'of partsas will be hereinafter more particularlyV pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fully de'-V scribed and referred tofin `connection'vvith the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the device of our invention with parts broken away for clearnes's;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the brine pan of our invention; eJFig. 3is a sectional elevational View along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a` plan View'of a cooling coil of our invention., A Y

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention. may be fully described.

There is shown a refrigerating unit consisting of a compressor I anda condenser generally indicated by I3 and being comprised of a circulating coil I4 which extends in a circuitous route through a plurality of radiating fins I5 which are mounted on a base l1 and are cooled by a fan member l 8 which may be operated from the drive shaft ofthe compressor il] as desired.

The compressor is driven by a motor which, for purposes of clarity, is not shown.

By means of the compressor and condenser the refrigerant is compressed and condensed in the familiar manner and is then forwarded to a- 1 claim. (c1. faz-115) liquid receiver 20 Vfor storage until desired .for use in the f-evaporating system about to be described.

The receiver 2B is connected by a line 22 to an expansion valve 24 which in turn is connected tow a supply pipe 26 which permits circulation ofthe liquid refrigerant from the receiver 2li through the valve member 24 to the cooling unit generally designated by the numeral 28. The cooling unit 28 comprises a cooling coil which is a refrigerant conduit in the form ora continuous and preferably jointless tube of com paratively small diameter arranged in a plurality of planes, extending in serpentine fashion back and forth in each plane lengthwise of the cooling chamber in which the unit is disposed, and the extremities of the piping in each plane being connected with the extremities in the planes above and below to. accomplish the desired con tinuity. i

That isto say, as shown in Fig. 1, the coolin unit consists of a cooling coil wherein a section` 3!) of the same follows a serpentine path along a y tremity by connection with a vertically extendingY connecting section `42. Section 42 vconnects sectionslll] and 50, which section follows a similary serpentine path along an upper horizontal plane commencing at the extremity which connects with Section 42 and terminating at its oppositeextremity by connection with a supply line 54.

Ice making trays of the conventional type; not shown in the drawing, may be disposed between the various planes of the coil.

It will be understood that as one form of our invention the supply line 54 may be returned to the compressor IG as shown by the dot-dash lines in Fig. 1 thereby completing the cooling cycle, although in the preferred form of our invention the supply line 54 serves as a conduit to lead the liquid to one or more brine pans, generally indicated by the numerals 10 and Hl and about to be described.

The Abrine pan member 'I0 consists of a shallow metallic pan having a bottom wall 'i2 and upright side and end walls la as shownin Figs. 2 and 3.

A serpentine-like ycontinuous coil 'I6 which lays in a horizontal plane is disposed in the pan member and placed upon the bottom wall 12 as shown in Fig. 3. The coil 16 is connected at one of its ends to the supply line 54 and the other of its ends to another supply line 54.

Absorbing material represented by numeral 'i3 such as rock wool or the like is placed around the exposed surfaces of the coil 1S so as to cover the same and in preparation for operation the material 'F8 is saturated with a solution of 24 ounces of water for every 4 ounces of anti-freeze solution. We have found through considerable experimentation that the best results are achieved when.'

ferred embodiment of our inventionrit is `usedtov lead the refrigerant to a-secondary brine pan 'l0' of a construction andpurpose identical with the Aconstruction and purpose shown anddescribed in the case of pan member 10. i

As shown, a supply line 54 leads therefrigerant back to the compressor I;

As a special feature inthe construction of our invention, a new and novel arrangement of the coils in the cooling systems is provided wherein the various brine pans may be used in combination with each other or singly, all as may be desired.

In the -case of each of fthe planes of `cooling unit 28 as shown in the case ofthe upperplane 521 in Fig. 4, the plane may consist of a plurality of substantially straight sectionsfor`- runs anda plurality of U-shapedsections or convolutions 53 connecting adiacent runs'Y in such manner that each run connects with-two adjacent' sections'or convolutions.

The convolutions of the coil are held vertically spaced as to each other andthe runs'l-areso stag- Y gered that adjacent'runs arev causedito converge upon each other at their ends opposite from the ends where they are connected by a'rsection 53- all asv shown in Fig. 4. ciatedby sucharrangementj air is permitted to pass upwardly around the runs WherebyieiciencyV is increased.

It is desired that the temperature of the unit 28Y be maintained within a range from 0 to 15 F. for the purpose of formingr ice or iceV cubes' which mav be accomplishediby placing cube trays between the runs of said unit; The temperature of the pans will be preferabiy'in a range from 309 to 48 F. for cooling'V containers ofl beveragesand the like.

It has been foundlthat where absorbingmaterial around coils 16 and 1S contains'brine of ordinary form and an anti-freeze solution that the brine is more or less like snow and does not freeze solid so as to function f'orfcooling beverages without freezing. One anti-freeze which may be used is known by thetrade-name' Glydol and fo'ur ounces thereof in twent'vefour ouncesA ofV water hasbeen found to besatsfa'ctory.

As is best shown in Fig. 1, a coinpartmentized refrigerator is generallvindicated bv the numeral |00' wherein are provided the conventional side walls |02; front wal1 |04 top walllli, bottom wall |08; and back wall (not shown) Inner walls disposed Within the interior of the unit providevarious compartments for the different elements` As will be seen andapprevremainder of the refrigerator by the horizontal wall |22-and one of the vertical walls |24. Compartment |60 contains the brine pan member '|0 and is separatedfrom the remainder of the refrigerator by the horizontal Wall |22 and the other ofthe vertical walls |24. Doors of the conventional design such as those 'represented by the numerals |10, |12, and |90, afford access to the compartments |40, |50 and |60 respectively, as shown.

The invention-may be embodied in otherzspecie forms without' departing fromltl'iel essential characteristics thereof. Hence, thef presentlembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as beingrestrctive, the scope of the invention vbeing indicated by the appended claim .rather than by the foregoing description, and:al1 modifications and variations as fall within the'meaningand purview and range of equivalency ofthe appended claim are therefore: intendedv to be; embraced therein.

What it is desired to `claim andisecure. by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

The combination of a freezing randzcooling. apparatus having plural'compartments and a-.comfpressor with, an icefreezingunitz'disposedwithin a compartment for maintaining a temperature ranging between 0 F.' and` 15 F. and", consisting of a serpentine-like coolingcoil-in the., form of -a continuous tube arranged inaplurality of planes having one extremity thereof connected; to: the condenser, a'coolingunit disposed withinl'anothei compartment for maintaining. a: temperature ranging between 30 F. and-48 F; and'consisting of a coil disposedV in a brine, pan; containing an absorbing material disposed around thecoil'having one extremity of the: coil connectedto the compressor, and a connectingcoilbetween th'ecoil of said freezinggunit and thecoirofsaid.cooling unit.

LEON B. FRENCH; JOHN F. SWEENEY.,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record-in the le of this patent:

UNITE-D STATES PATENTS Numb er. Name- Date 606,326 Allen June 28, 1898 1,193,555 Kelly Aug. 8, 1916 1,938.316 Burrows Dec. 5, 1933 1,975,046 Larkin ,Sept. 25, 1-934 2,007.288 Thomson July- 9, 1935 2,095,036 Potter Oct. 5, 1937 2,276,811 Ward Mar. 17., 1942 2,416,777 Schweller Mar. 4, 1947 2,418,572 Brennan Apr. 8, 1947 2,430,110 De Vilbiss Nov. 4.,v 1947 

